This is first time that German synth player Kai Niggemann has a release with his solo music. Before I heard him on a bunch of compilations (Vital Weekly 1003 and 1056) and a split cassette with Nils Quak (Vital Weekly 1062). Niggemann has one instrument, the Buchla 200e Electric Music Box, and records all his music live without overdubs. I am told this is one of the ‘rarest and most sought after electronic music instruments’. Besides playing solo synth music, Niggemann is also a member of The Dorf (a 30-piece kraut-noise-jazz group), the duo The Last books (with Achim Zepezauer) and with Mia Zabelka he records as Redshift Orchestra, besides a bunch more projects.

On his solo release he has seven pieces, which more or less flow right into each other. Like with the split cassette I heard from him, Niggemann’s music is not really confined into one place or space. His music is not just about playing Tangerine Dream again (actually far from it), noisy, techno or academic, yet somehow I would think that it is a bit of all of this. It bounces neatly all over the musical spectrum, perhaps a bit more serious electronic music from before than cosmic triggering, but it never reaches for something that is too serious. I can imagine a more adventurous DJ, and I am sure they exist and still spin records, would know how to deal with this inside a set of weird electronic music. The record comes in a nice silkscreened cover and a cardboard Buchla synth, which you can cut ’n paste yourself. That tops off a wonderful project filled with that well-known German sense of
absurdness. (FdW)

Buy Heart Murmur digital now on kainiggemann.bandcamp.com (see player to the right), iTunes and everywhere else soon. 10″ Vinyl available through bandcamp and internationally distributed by Word And Sound (Kalakuta Soul Records/WAF80music, KKS10-001)

All other digital stores are following suit in the next few days, please keep checking them if you prefer to get it elsewhere.

If you buy it from bandcamp you’ll get a supercool papercraft Buchla 200e PDF (which is enclosed as a paper card in the 10″ vinyl version that also includes the download. Soo many options to treat yourself!)